The Long Way Home
by JenLea
Summary: Seth tries to cope with his guilt as he and Dean face reconciliation. SLASH
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: based off a prompt from WrestleKink2. Modified for posting here._

Root Canals.

A long match with Braun Strowman.

Beets.

These were a few things guaranteed to ruin Seth Rollins' day.

On this particular day, he chose to add freak computer failures at the airport and a nine hour drive through the Midwest to this list.

"Why did we decide to drive?" Dean Ambrose asked, staring at the rows of field in front of them. He anxiously fiddled with the radio, trying to settle on any station that wasn't static or worse- preaching.

"It was easier to drive the nine hours than deal with the crazy that is American's computers all going down at once." Seth drummed a beat against the steering wheel. "Or we're sadistic." He shrugged. "Take your pick."

"Our choices are classic country, preaching or some strange local station." Dean stared at the radio in disgust before shutting it off. "I vote for quiet."

"It's only a nine hour drive." Seth sighed.

"Only nine hours?" Dean asked, incredulous. "Only nine hours?"

"Sit back and enjoy the ride."

They drove in relative silence for the first hour or so. This was the first time that they had ridden together alone since they had started talking about reconciliation.

Seth knew that he had done wrong to Dean. He wasn't sure what had caused him to stray so far but he was grateful that they had started talking more.

Every so often, Dean would open his mouth as if to speak but then would stop before speaking, keeping the quiet.

He chose to break the silence by threading his fingers through Seth's free hand.

Seth tried not to recoil out of total shock.

This was the first time that that they had touched outside the ring in well over a year.

"Yes?" Seth asked, lightly squeezing Dean's hand.

"Just making sure you're real." Dean's voice was barely above a whisper.

"Why wouldn't I be real?" Seth fought the urge to look at Dean, choosing to keep his focus on the road.

"You weren't for so long." Dean sighed, holding their hands up. "I dreamt of this."

A dull ache began to gnaw in the pit of Seth's stomach. He twitched, hoping this would clear the ache.

It didn't- only making the ache worse.

"I told you- you don't have to worry- I'm not going anywhere."

Dean sat silent.

"I never stopped."

"Never stopped what?"

"Never stopped loving you. Never stopped hoping you'd come back." Dean shrugged. "No one could live up to you."

 _Now Dean will never trust you or anyone again._

"What?"

"I went on a few dates here and there. We either didn't get along all that well or they thought I was odd." Dean shook his head, breaking his trance.

"I can't apologize enough." Seth sighed again. "I'm just glad you're giving me a second chance."

"Don't get it twisted." Dean wrenched his hand free of Seth's grasp.

Seth couldn't look away from the road but he didn't need to. The heat from Dean's gaze was practically boring into him.

"I said most likely. I need more time to have you back as a friend before we can even begin discussing _that_."

Seth could only nod.


	2. Chapter 2

**_The Long Way Home_**

 _ **Part Two**_

 _ **Disclaimer: You recognize, I don't own.**_

 _ **A.N- This is my first time writing this particular pairing. Hopefully, it's in character enough.**_

Dean had a date.

It didn't matter that the date was him, alone in a jetted tub eating Pad Thai.

It totally counted.

"This better be good." Dean answered his phone while trying to control the temperature of his bath water and ignore the sticky-sweet scent of Pad Thai that was making his stomach growl.

"Need some help." Roman's voice sounded far and strained.

"What's wrong?" Dean clutched the phone between his cheek and shoulder as he added lavender oil to the tub.

"Just need some help. It's Seth."

An odd keen caught in the back of his throat.

"What about him?" Dean stretched, ignoring the ache in his lower back. Figuring the bath was now pointless, he shut the tap off.

"I'm coming up to your room."

Dean couldn't help but grumble. He adored Seth- he really did. They had parted in the lobby, not even an hour ago. They had promised to text sporadically but all Dean wanted was time to himself.

Time to relax. Time to rehab. Time to think.

Reluctantly shoving back into his jeans and shirt, he wondered just what had happened.

The pounding on the door broke him out of his train of thought.

"Come in." Dean flung the door open. He was startled to be greeted by a very irritated Roman holding an even paler Seth. He recoiled, noticing the bloody t-shirt wrapped around Seth's left hand. "What the..." His voice drifted off.

"Someone had a run in with a decorative glass feature." Roman eased Seth into a hard backed chair. "Keep an eye on him while I go grab my checkbook." He turned back towards the door.

"Why?" Dean was baffled.

"The hotel isn't going to call the cops if someone pays the damage. As our friend has been rendered temporarily mute, I've decided to do the friend thing and pay." Roman disappeared back through the door.

Dean sat next to Seth who was growing steadily paler.

"You going to talk?" Dean asked, taking a long pull of his bottled water.

Seth stayed silent.

"Well, I will be here when you're ready to tell me what the fuck just happened." He opened the white cardboard container of Pad Thai and began to eat. "Are you hungry?" Against his better judgment, he held a forkful of food to Seth's lips. He was pleased when Seth reluctantly took the offered bite.

As they waited for Roman to return, Dean eased himself into a natural rhythm. A bite for him. Two for Seth. A bite for him. Two for Seth. They made quick work of the Pad Thai.

Just as they finished eating, Roman came back from the lobby.

"You owe me." Roman threw his checkbook down while pointing at Seth. "The manager was being a jackass but it turned out his wife was a huge wrestling fan...and anyway."

"Someone want to fill me in?" Dean chucked the empty food container towards the waste basket.

"Seth had a little encounter with Wyatt." Roman sat between them and peeled back the shirt covering Seth's hand. "This is going to hurt. I apologize in advance." He inspected the cuts, trying to determine just how bad the damage was.

Dean cursed silently. He should have known.

"What did he say?" he asked, glancing over Roman's shoulder. He winced, noticing that Seth's hand was a mess of blood and broken glass.

"He wouldn't say. Think he needs stitches?" Roman cocked his head.

"Not yet. I think we can fix this ourselves. Doesn't look great but doesn't look ER worthy." His back hurt and now he was beyond cranky. Spending the night in the ER with a silent Seth and a mother hen Roman was the absolute last thing that he wanted to do.

As they worked steadily, they did the best that they could to avoid causing a still-silent Seth more pain. The only noise that he made were a few pain-filled whimpers as they worked to ease a particularly stubborn piece of glass out.

"Okay, I need to go get that roll of gauze so we can finish." Roman stood. "I'll be back." He walked out of the room.

"He said you fucked him."

Seth broke the silence just as Dean flushed his hand out with peroxide, dried the wounds and dressed them with triple antibiotic ointment.

"Who am I fucking this week?" Dean asked, adjusting the heating pad draped across his lower back. He hadn't wanted to use it but the pain wasn't easing up and the bath was now out of the question.

"Bray Wyatt." Seth shook, trying to contain a fresh wave of anger. "You don't want me to repeat exactly what he said. Long story short- you thought you were worthless after what I did. He broke you in two and then gave other people a turn." He choked back a gag of revulsion. "Said that I broke you so bad that you were only happy to..." He gagged again.

"And you believe everything that someone tells you?" Dean stared back in bewilderment.

"You told me that you..."

"Yep. Renee kept trying to fix me up." Dean choked back a gag of his own. "I can't believe you'd think I'd think I'd sink so low as Bray Wyatt." He shook his head.

"I just feel so damn guilty." Seth stared up to the ceiling, almost as if he was in silent prayer. "You and me- we had a good thing. You loved me, trusted me and I..."

"You stabbed me in the back." Dean stood up. He had been contemplating giving Seth a special gift- something to say 'hey, I forgive you'. That had been one of the main reasons behind his self-date night. "It happens. Love hurts."

"I just want to be us." Seth's voice was half strangled, half full of longing. "Two point five kids. A picket fence. I want my future with you and I ruined it."

Dean squatted in front of the beat-up black duffel tag. He nibbled on his lower lip to avoid the urge to speak. Finding what he needed, he turned around to reveal a royal gift bag.

"I was trying to wait but I think you need this now." Dean handed him the bag. "Open it." He sat on the leather sofa, kitty corner from where Seth was.

He watched Seth open the bag and pull out a small black velvet ring box. He stifled a laugh, Seth's brow crinkling in confusion.

"Should mention that's not what you think." Dean moved until he was directly in front of Seth. He took the ring box, opened it and closed it as he sat in front of Seth. "A promise ring."

"A promise ring?" Seth was now as white as a sheet. "You got a promise ring for me?"

"Yep." Dean flipped the box open to reveal a simple silver band that had the infinity symbol as most of the ring. "This is my way of saying that I intend for you to be mine for infinity." He pulled the ring out of its case and held it in the palm of his hand. "You can give it back but I prefer you keep it." He slipped it onto the ring finger of Seth's good hand. "Yes, I know I'm being saccharine but you mean a lot to me- always have."

Seth gazed at his hand, inspecting the infinity symbol.

"Say something?" Dean pleaded.

"I don't know what to say." Seth admitted. "Of all the things I would have expected, this was not one of them."

"I would take it for what it is." Roman interrupted. "Let's just finish this and I will leave you both alone." He held up the roll of gauze.

"You asked me what it would take for me to move on." Dean tightly wound the gauze and held the stop point taut for Roman to cut. "Just the time I've spent with you has been enough." As he clipped the gauze together, he gently moved Seth's hand and pressed his lips to the palm of his injured hand. "I've forgiven you. Can you forgive you?" He nodded gratefully towards Roman- both a thanks and letting him know that he had it from here.

"So what are we?" Seth asked. "I mean- we've been spending all this time together and you still won't let me kiss you."

"Told you once- we do this on my terms."

"Well, I guess you want to get back to your bath and your thoughts. I'll just head back to my room..."

"Did I ask you to?"

"No."

"See,that's not an option." Dean stood. Stooping in front of Seth, he gave him a quick chaste kiss.

The first kiss of their reconciliation.


End file.
